Jackson is a former member of the Maine House of Representatives and the Maine Senate, where he was Senate Democratic Leader during the 126th Legislature. He has served on the Committees on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife; Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development; State and Local Government; Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry; and Energy, Utilities and Technology.

“My father worked in the north Maine woods. When I was a boy, I went with him into the woods when his friends and coworkers went on strike,” Jackson said. “I watched as the boss, a major property owner, ignored his workers’ request for fair wages and working conditions. He held my family’s future in his hands, and he didn’t care. He threatened to fire my father and replace them without a second thought. That was a lesson to me. It taught me that our futures aren’t always in our hands. Working folks, the little guys, need champions to protect them from the rich and the powerful. People in Maine are frustrated. They’re concerned about where we’re going. Where will they make a living? How will they take care of their kids? How will they pay for college, and health insurance? People are upset about their lot in life. They’re worried things won’t ever get better. We, as Senate Democrats, need to fight like hell for those people, and we’re going to. That’s my promise to my colleagues, and to the people of Maine.”

Sen. Nate Libby of Lewiston was elected to serve as the Assistant Senate Democratic Leader. Libby has represented Maine’s second-largest city in the House of Representatives and the Senate, and has served on the Committee on Taxation and the Committee on State and Local Government.

“The fundamental values of our caucus are Maine’s core values. We will support policies that expand opportunity, protect equality and promote fairness in our political and economic system,” Sen. Libby said. “Our focus must always be on our constituents back home, and on a brighter future for the State of Maine. Mainers expect us to fight hard for them, but at the end of the day to work together and get results, and that’s what I intend to do as a leader in the Maine Senate.”

The leadership team was selected via secret ballot by the 17 members of the incoming Maine Senate Democratic Caucus.